Question about metabolism

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soulgirl26
soulgirl26 Posts: 5 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hello all, I have a quick question about metabolism.
I have been dieting for over two months now, and exercising almost as long, and MFP suggested to me that I eat 1200 calories a day in order to lose 100 pounds. Awesome, great, 28.5 pounds down thus far and I'm feeling great. However, for the past few days I have been way hungrier than normal. (Not a girl hormone thing since I had that all removed in 2001). In fact, one day this week I ate almost 1000 calories over my normal calorie allotment and the other few days it was 200 calories here and 300 calories there. I'm not skipping meals, so there shouldn't be any binge desires, but I'm just downright hungry. (Which is kind of new for me.) Anyway, I still lost a pound thus far this week and I'm just wondering if I should listen to my body when it tells me I'm hungry, because maybe my metabolism is increasing, or should I fight it tooth and nail and just be hungry?

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  • thesophierose
    thesophierose Posts: 754 Member
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    How much are you working out? Because you are supposed to eat those calories back. But if you are looking to lose 100 pounds, 1200 does seem a bit low. 1200 is low for most people.
  • Laura062513
    Laura062513 Posts: 15 Member
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    sounds like your metabolism is really high and if that's the case just eat.. but make it small and healthy, maybe some cucumber slices or another fruit or vegetable or just drink more water
  • Sarahcuda
    Sarahcuda Posts: 76
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    What type of foods are you eating? All calories are not created equal.
    For instance, if I just log calories, I find that I can eat 1800 a day and still be hungry. But if I watch my carb intake and eat more whole foods, my calorie amount tends to be much lower and I am not hungry.

    :)
  • SkinnyFatAlbert
    SkinnyFatAlbert Posts: 482 Member
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    Eat when you're hungry but eat foods that are less calorie dense and/or foods that will keep you fuller longer.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Now that you are down to 75lbs left to lose you may want to adjust your weekly weight loss goal to 1.5lbs/week instead of 2. the less you have to lose the slower your weight loss should be (smaller deficit).
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Eat when you're hungry but eat foods that are less calorie dense and/or foods that will keep you fuller longer.

    Not a good idea. Hunger is not a very good indication of your body's nutritional requirements. I could drink 5-6000 cals a day and be hungry, or eat 500 cals of just veggies and be full. Not to mention after prolonged under-eating the brain ofter "turns off" hunger signals since they were being ignored anyway. also a lot of people mistake thrust for hunger.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    What kind of deficit is this, and how long have you been at a deficit without a break?
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,009 Member
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    If you can average hundreds of calories a day over what you had been eating (while you were losing 28.5 lbs in a little over two months, or roughly 3 lbs a week) and still lose 1 lb a week, I'd say go ahead and eat more (maybe see if you can a midpoint where you're losing a pound and a half or even two, since it seems you still have a little over 70 lbs to lose, then plan to adjust again as you get a little closer to goal weight). It's better to lose slowly and not be miserable, for a lot of reasons, including being able to stick with the calorie deficit until you've lost what you plan to, and developing habits and an approach to eating that can follow you into maintenance.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    I agree with Eric. It may be time to rethink your deficit and bring it to only 1 or 1.5 pounds a week. You seem to have a high metabolism if you are losing about 3 pounds a week and you don't want to lose lean body mass (muscle) which could slow your metabolism.
  • soulgirl26
    soulgirl26 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks for all the advice guys, I really appreciate it and perhaps slowing the weight loss would be a good idea. I began this by just doing what the website stated, 1200 calories a day, and although that was fine initially, I don't really like feeling like I'm starving. Again, thank you and I feel better with all the great advice.

    To answer some of your questions: I work out five days a week for one hour using the arc trainer and I have a heart monitor for calorie counting. I am very short so I do think that's why they put me at 1200 calories a day. I eat lots of fresh vegetables, lean meats, and brown rice. However, since this is meant for my lifetime, I do not deprive myself, if I want cake, then darnit, I'm gonna eat some cake. :) But I do plan ahead for it and put it into my calorie allotment for the day. I drink lots of water and always when I'm feeling hungry, just in case.

    Good luck to you all and keep it up.

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